I own one of these (£40 off ebay, bargain), and they are indeed very nice. At more extreme settings you can use them as a nice lead boost for distorted guitar, but the really handy thing is they double as a DI box and splitter, so awesome for people recording or reamping. Plus it can be phantom powered via the XLR output too. I'll run my guitar through it and out to the amp then use the XLR output to record the instrument signal direct to my PC so I can record a clean version of the performance.
Thanks for this demo! Have you used this compressor with a guitar too? I've been thinking of getting an optical compressor to replace my current compressor that I bought without knowing the difference... XD
@zarigunn +1 for observation and good taste. I'm getting one of these and my personal tonal preference seems to be telling me that i'll be using it in the off position a lot of the time. But this video does a great job to me of illustrating exactly how i might like to use it.
I owned this pedal for two days, then took it back.This unit doesnt really compress enough.(Connect it to your pc or mixing desk and use its Meter to see how much or if any signal is being compressed)....and also as soon as you attempt to compress a little more, it hiss's like a snake !! Plus the in/out jacks are absolute Rubbish !...for the same price your better off getting a BBE Opto Stomp or as I did an EBS Multi Comp for about $100 more than the Aphex.
The Puch Factory is subtle, but has a quality that I did not find in other compressors: it gives more punch to the attack.
Most compressors I heard make it too obvious that they raie the volume on the tail of the sound, while the Aphex has a sharp attack followed by a strong sustain.
I am keeping it on most of the time in one bamd, just to have more impact on note attacks.
All other compressors I have tried inflate the sound too much.
That's exactly why I purchased my Punch Factory. For units in my price range, the PF was the perfect combination of both a subtle compressor, not squashing the dynamic range out of my basses as well as ease of use: I find too many with complicated setup to find a good sound as well as additional EQ sections, which I *don't* need any more of. Aside from a multi-band, which were out of my range financially, this has suited my playing perfectly!
I love this pedal. I have active pick ups so I like having a dynamic range but sometimes you need to even out. This pedal is great for doing just that.
hey thanks for posting a demo about this pedal it seems nobody thought about it before and i was looking hell a lot for one! :)
i'm about to buy one, and also play bass so my question is: can it even notes so that they don't sound abused but natural? i play kinda psychedelic music where the bass needs to be sterile as like in electronic music so that's what i need even notes although not during whole song but in some parts of them.
I'd say thats what it does best. Being an optical compressor, it is going for a more "natural" sounding compression, not a "squashy" compression as in some other pedals. It evens out your playing dynamics and can help the bass work better with other effects such as synths, some fuzzes, etc. For your kind of music, you ought to get the effect you want by turning the drive up and setting the volume to taste, then leaving the thing on all the time.
I own one of these (£40 off ebay, bargain), and they are indeed very nice. At more extreme settings you can use them as a nice lead boost for distorted guitar, but the really handy thing is they double as a DI box and splitter, so awesome for people recording or reamping. Plus it can be phantom powered via the XLR output too. I'll run my guitar through it and out to the amp then use the XLR output to record the instrument signal direct to my PC so I can record a clean version of the performance.
sonicwingnut 7 months ago
Thanks for this demo! Have you used this compressor with a guitar too? I've been thinking of getting an optical compressor to replace my current compressor that I bought without knowing the difference... XD
orangehasrhymes 9 months ago
play without, it sound much warmer.
really honnest
zarigunn 10 months ago
Comment removed
Polyinstrumentalism 6 months ago
@zarigunn +1 for observation and good taste. I'm getting one of these and my personal tonal preference seems to be telling me that i'll be using it in the off position a lot of the time. But this video does a great job to me of illustrating exactly how i might like to use it.
Polyinstrumentalism 6 months ago
Am I the Only guitar player who uses this? I love it on in tandem with my Mesa Dual Rec.
ghettometalhead 1 year ago
@ghettometalhead I used with guitar too, and is on all the time, its a basic part of my rig
jn777 1 year ago
If this is DI'd, how come you can hear people talking in the background? :)
kanirip 1 year ago
Doesn't seem to compress at all. Weird.
AmazingTone 2 years ago 2
@AmazingTone means its a verry compressor x)
strange huh ?
zarigunn 1 year ago
@AmazingTone it does, he just makes up the lost gain (from the compressor reducing the volume of the louder notes) with the volume knob
hidingthetreeline 1 year ago
i swear by this pedal. it's the only thing that is ALWAYS on in my setup
MileSeventySeven 2 years ago
does whats its supposed to do, even out, and add punch!
BreakupBass 2 years ago
I owned this pedal for two days, then took it back.This unit doesnt really compress enough.(Connect it to your pc or mixing desk and use its Meter to see how much or if any signal is being compressed)....and also as soon as you attempt to compress a little more, it hiss's like a snake !! Plus the in/out jacks are absolute Rubbish !...for the same price your better off getting a BBE Opto Stomp or as I did an EBS Multi Comp for about $100 more than the Aphex.
paradeproductions 2 years ago 2
The Puch Factory is subtle, but has a quality that I did not find in other compressors: it gives more punch to the attack.
Most compressors I heard make it too obvious that they raie the volume on the tail of the sound, while the Aphex has a sharp attack followed by a strong sustain.
I am keeping it on most of the time in one bamd, just to have more impact on note attacks.
All other compressors I have tried inflate the sound too much.
cosmic53 2 years ago
That's exactly why I purchased my Punch Factory. For units in my price range, the PF was the perfect combination of both a subtle compressor, not squashing the dynamic range out of my basses as well as ease of use: I find too many with complicated setup to find a good sound as well as additional EQ sections, which I *don't* need any more of. Aside from a multi-band, which were out of my range financially, this has suited my playing perfectly!
scarred2112 2 years ago
very useful demo of this pedal. thanks!
cruelmoonprog 2 years ago
I love this pedal. I have active pick ups so I like having a dynamic range but sometimes you need to even out. This pedal is great for doing just that.
hendrix1175 3 years ago
hey thanks for posting a demo about this pedal it seems nobody thought about it before and i was looking hell a lot for one! :)
i'm about to buy one, and also play bass so my question is: can it even notes so that they don't sound abused but natural? i play kinda psychedelic music where the bass needs to be sterile as like in electronic music so that's what i need even notes although not during whole song but in some parts of them.
sorry for the rush of questions! :)
JahreedST 3 years ago
I'd say thats what it does best. Being an optical compressor, it is going for a more "natural" sounding compression, not a "squashy" compression as in some other pedals. It evens out your playing dynamics and can help the bass work better with other effects such as synths, some fuzzes, etc. For your kind of music, you ought to get the effect you want by turning the drive up and setting the volume to taste, then leaving the thing on all the time.
cdawzrd 3 years ago
Thanks!
Than I'm going to try one out and buy it if it sounds good when I play as well! :)
Keep playing!
JahreedST 3 years ago